ST. TAMMANY PARISH, La. — A St. Tammany Parish man was booked on three new charges of soliciting a minor Thursday after investigators learned he was using Snapchat to prey on teenage girls after his initial arrest on multiple felonies related to child sexual abuse.
Police now say that while out on bond ahead of his trial, 28-year-old Joseph William Haidler of Mandeville continued to solicit minors, asking 13 to 15-year-old teen girls for sexually explicit pictures.
He was rebooked into the St. Tammany Parish Jail on three new charges of computer-aided solicitation of a minor.
Search warrants for his social media accounts found the names of over 1,000 potential victims whom he reached out to on Snapchat using a variety of aliases, police say.
Haidler allegedly sent photos of an open computer screen showing a bank balance of tens of thousands of dollars, then asked the girls if they wanted a "sugar daddy."
Police say he sent two specific photos of himself to victims, which they are releasing in the hopes that any other victims will recognize them and contact authorities.
Authorities believe he was targeting high-school-aged girls in the St. Tammany Parish area.
State police say Haidler was originally arrested in the Virgin Islands, and was extradited back to St. Tammany Parish in July 2020 to face two counts each of trafficking of a child for sexual purposes, third degree rape, aggravated kidnapping, and computer-aided solicitation of a minor.
In that case, police say Haidler used an alias in December 2019 to solicit sexual acts, photographs and videos of a minor in St. Tammany Parish. He then allegedly picked the victim up from her home, took her to a nearby location and raped her.
Anybody with information about Haidler or any additional victims is encouraged to contact the Louisiana State Police Special Victim's Unit- New Orleans office at 504-310-7000.
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